"I was about 14 when I first set eyes on Emma Barton," Jamie told TV Times: "I fell in love with her long, shapely legs and I wanted to marry her.

"Perry [Fenwick, who plays Billy] told me to chat her up, and I remember walking over to her and saying, 'Alright darlin'…, wow, you smell nice.' It brought the house down and we still laugh about it now.

"I love working with Emma. I won't say what it is, but we have something in common that's very rare and very special that brings us together. I still try and chat her up and say that one day, we'll get married, but she's having none of it!"